Nicole Richie’s tattoos include angel wings, an ankle rosary, ballet slippers, a shooting star and the “Richie” name at the back of her neck. Some pieces connect to family and friends; others are reminders of choices she made when she was younger.
She has talked about getting tattoos early and about feeling differently about some of them later. That gives the collection a personal timeline, from designs she still wears to one she once joked about removing.
The angel wings on Nicole Richie’s back
The best-known pieces are two small colored wings on Nicole’s shoulder blades. They sit on either side of her upper back and are easy to see in backless outfits and older red-carpet photos.
Wings can carry different meanings, but Nicole hasn’t attached a specific story to these in the source material. The design became part of her public look. Her daughter Kate later showed a similar pair, giving the wings a family connection as well.
The wings are small, but their placement makes them recognizable in photos.
Her rosary tattoo wraps around the ankle
Nicole’s rosary tattoo circles her ankle and continues toward her foot. Small beads form the chain, which ends in a cross; from a distance, the piece can look like an anklet.
It shows more clearly in sandals, heels and other open shoes. Older photos often pair it with bright red nail polish, which helped make the design familiar to fans.
The rosary has remained one of the tattoos most closely associated with her style.
The “virgin” wrist tattoo
One of Nicole’s wrist tattoos reads “virgin.” The word relates to her Virgo sign, represented by the maiden. She later said she felt awkward about having it on her wrist.
That’s a straightforward story: she liked the idea when she was young and her opinion changed. The lettering is small, but its position means it can show even when her other tattoos are covered.
Some celebrity tattoo stories are hard to verify. Here, Nicole has spoken about how she came to feel about the design.
Ballet slippers for Lionel Richie’s song
Nicole has ballet slippers tattooed as a tribute to her father, Lionel Richie. He wrote “Ballerina Girl,” and she has explained the connection herself.
The slippers aren’t as easy to spot as the wings or ankle rosary, but their meaning is clear. They link the tattoo to her father and his music.
The design is one example of how her collection moves between family references and more decorative pieces.
The cross on her lower back
Nicole has a cross low on her back. She later joked about it as a “tramp stamp” and, on Candidly Nicole, talked about looking into having it removed.
The dark cross is often covered by clothing, though older beach and red-carpet photos show it. Nicole’s comments make clear that she views the placement differently now than she did when she got it.
A tattoo can remain part of someone’s history even after it stops being a favorite.
The shooting star on her wrist
Nicole has described a red shooting star on her wrist as a shared tattoo connected to close friends, including Kidada Jones and the late singer Aaliyah.
The red ink stands out in older photos. The design is small, but the connection to those friendships is part of the story Nicole has shared.
It sits alongside more serious family designs in a collection that also includes playful, colorful pieces.
The tiara tattoo on her hip
Nicole’s tiara tattoo sits on her hip and dates from the earlier part of her tattoo years. The placement lets her keep it covered when she chooses.
She hasn’t given it a confirmed meaning in the source material. It may simply be a design she liked at the time, alongside other pieces that capture different stages of her style.
The Richie tattoo behind her neck
“Richie” is written on the back of Nicole’s neck beneath a small bow. The lettering shows when her hair is up and disappears under it when her hair is down.
The surname is direct, while the bow adds a small decorative detail. Together they read almost like a signature at the nape of her neck.
What Nicole’s tattoos say about her
Nicole’s collection brings together family, friendship, astrology and music, along with a few decisions she now sees differently. The wings and rosary became familiar parts of her look; the ballet slippers connect to her father, and the shooting star to friends.
She can laugh about the cross on her lower back while still treating it as part of her past. Some pieces remain favorites; others remind her of a younger version of herself.
Watch Nicole Richie talk about a tattoo
Nicole’s Candidly Nicole series included a segment about tattoo removal and the cross on her lower back.
More profiles with similar personal details are in the actors tattoo section.